April 15, 2025
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"That’s one of the beauties of Boston: that anyone can win on the day... So do I have a shot? Yes. While that shot might be slim, it might be small, it’s definitely there and I definitely think about it."
My guest for today's episode is Clayton Young, and it should come as no surprise that this episode pairs well with last week's interview with Conner Mantz because since fall 2023, he's lined up alongside Conner in nearly every major race from Chicago to the Olympic Trials, Paris to New York, and most recently, in Houston back in January.
While the spotlight often lands on Conner Mantz, it's impossible to overlook what Clayton has done: second at the Trials, ninth at the Olympics, seventh in New York City, and a personal best of 60:52 in Houston earlier this year for the half marathon. He's always been in the mix – always one move, one moment away from turning the tables.
In today's conversation, Clayton reflects on the highs and lows of this particular training block, how he's managed to regain his confidence late in the build, and how he's approaching his Boston Marathon debut this upcoming Monday.
Since he started representing himself, he also shares a little bit of how he's making a bet on himself and how he went about structuring his contract for the race. It also wouldn't be fair if I didn't ask him what he thought his chances were of winning on race day. This episode talks about competition, belief, and the challenge of chasing your best when you're already running with the best every day in training.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Clayton Young | @_clayton_young_ on Instagram
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Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and on Feb. 15th, 2025 finally broke five minutes for the mile.
